Ebony & Ivory
by Arcross
Summary: With the traditional disbandment of Team Seven, Naruto Uzumaki quickly grows bored with the stagnancy of being on standby. Fortunately, the long-awaited decision and word of the Hokage breaks the monotony, for better or for worse. Partners—you don't always have to bite the bullet alone. Naruto/Akane.
1. Pervy Sage

**Chapter One — Pervy Sage**

* * *

Two months.

It had been two months since Team Seven's disbandment by tradition, since a seventeen-year old Naruto Uzumaki had been deemed mature enough to advance his career as a shinobi.

It had been two months since his supposed relocation—still pending, apparently—and placement on standby, since he had last been called in for anything beyond the mundane.

And, it had been two months since his last mission, since he had last departed from the safety that the village's standing walls provided him with.

Two, _long_ and _boring_ months.

Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish todays from yesterdays. Running the same old daily routine nearly ritualistically would do that to someone—rise and shine, have a meal at the Ichiraku ramen stand, possibly catch Sasuke or Sakura on their free time, eavesdrop on the Hokage before getting sent away, lights out.

Truthfully speaking, Naruto was a bit jealous of both of his former squad-mates—Sakura had been relocated into a new cell within the week of disbandment, and after a bit of back and forth with the Hokage's advisory unit, Sasuke followed suit not even a month later.

He, on the other hand...

It didn't really bother him at first that the two got placed on teams rather quickly while he remained on standby. Heck, he even congratulated and wished them the best of luck when the time came. But as he waited each day after that, Naruto began to notice that he started to see them around less and less.

They didn't always show up at the places he usually found them hanging around at—maybe they were at home, relaxing or sleeping in. That was understandable, everyone needed some time off for themselves. Two days of no-show in a row got him suspicious, however.

His suspicions were confirmed when he had decided to snoop around the Uchiha compound, with one Sasuke as its only inhabitant. That wasn't exactly the case.

Dead silent—a _ghost town_.

If Sasuke wasn't home, and was nowhere to be found within the village, then that meant...

_Missions_.

That alone strummed a chord of envy in Naruto's beating heart—the feeling wasn't all that big, but it was still there. While they were busy with possibly important tasks, he was left to wait, and wait, and _wait_. But he knew that of course; just refused to believe it to be true was all.

He did his best to ignore that piece of information, but the thought still nagged at him like a stain that refused to wash away. The absence of their presence—the saving grace to spice his day—only served to bitterly remind him of it.

They were off again—Sasuke and Sakura, anyway—so there was no point in staking out for them. Naruto idly swung his legs back and forth, sapphire eyes boring into the contents of his empty serving of ramen. What was next on the list of things to do?

Eavesdrop on the Hokage? Perhaps in a few days; there was nothing new to hear about outside the usual, "I'm busy you brat!" or the disappointing, "sorry kid, nothing yet."

Lights out? It was barely midday, the time when people were most busy. Except him, of course, but that was a given.

In essence, there was absolutely, positively nothing to do for the next—

"Naruto Uzumaki," someone called from behind the shop's flaps. The voice sounded slightly muffled, inadvertently deepening its tone, but was as flat as a board. There were only so many people who actually spoke that way...

Naruto didn't even bother looking back, instead choosing to occupy himself by tracing invisible patterns on the counter with his index finger. "Yeah that's me, who's askin'?" he responded in an unenthused manner.

"Please report to the Hokage Tower at your earliest convenience; Lord Hokage is expecting your presence soon."

His artistic digit stopped mid-doodle, brain slowly processing the words as an audible poof went through one ear and out the other. That certainly was rather unexpected, with the Hokage actually wanting to see him and all. Just yesterday, he was pushed aside with another, yet typical, "shoo, I'm in the middle of a meeting here!" response.

But the last time he was ever called in this way was—

_Seriously?_

—two months ago.

"For real?" Naruto asked—the slightest hint of hope evident in the question—but the speaker was long gone before he could even turn his head. The only sign that the person was there was a blanket of scattered leaves over the dirt.

"Hell, I'll get there right now!" He hastily fumbled out his frog-shaped wallet—affectionately entitled, 'Gama'—before setting down an arbitrary amount of ryō over the counter. He was much too excited to count, too set on that one-track mind of his to even care about his savings on hand.

"Thanks for the food old man, I got'ta get goin'! See 'ya!" Naruto bolted from his seat before the stand's owner, Teuchi, had a chance to say good-bye to his favorite customer.

The now-energetic shinobi raced through the winding streets and alleys of Konoha, scaling the tallest structures whenever he could. The business drone from down below was quickly replaced with the sound of wind shearing, whipping, buffeting against the round features of his face. It was a struggle to keep his eyes peeled open to avoid a possible flyby accident.

Naruto's pace withered as he neared the tower and academy, taking the rest of the way grounded rather than the rooftops. It seemed to be lunch-time for the academy students as well, judging by the number of children outside within the bounds. His not-so-subtle entry prompted a number of them to look towards the main entrance—most opted to watch with curious eyes, and few waved in greeting before going back to their current business.

He ran up the spiraling hallway before any of the stationed instructors at the academy's front could comment or reprimand him on his reckless antics.

"No running in the halls!"

Or something vaguely akin to that, could be heard through the walls themselves. Big deal, it's not liked it mattered anyway—there was nobody in the way to begin with! So of course it was fine...

As Naruto rounded the final corner, he barreled through the office doorway, letting the door itself slam against the wall with a resounding boom. It was probably a good thing that it was built to withstand odd and destructive entries, given the quirks of a few shinobi in active service.

"Alright Pervy Sage!" he declared in a rather loud tone of voice, "you wanted to see me?"

Among the busy drone of someone diligently flipping through pages and setting books down, a small bit of movement behind the barrier of books cluttered around the Hokage's amber desk was vaguely noticed. Tufts of white hair wold bob up and down once in a while as a few large textbooks thought it appropriate to slide off the mounds of text and onto the floor. Their contents were messily sprawled over the ground, spines facing up towards the ceiling.

"Yeah, something like that," the so-called _Pervy Sage_ replied from the other side, "just hold on a second, will you?"

The room was once more filled with the sounds of book-stacking and page-leafing. It continued for a moment before a tiresome sigh put an end to the dull and boring ambiance it created.

"Ah, forget it... I'll finish it up later."

A tall, white-haired man bearing broad shoulders and semi-clad in the Hokage's official regalia surfaced from the rubble of serious disorganization. One of his hands rested itself on the crook of his hip while the other wearily massaged the gaunt features of his face, no doubt out of distress or irritation.

"Anyway," he finally started after a brief moment of much-needed silence, moving to the front of the desk. "Want to hear the good or the bad news first?"

"Well duh, of course I want to hear the good news first! Come on, come on! What is it?"

"I finally got you off standby—you've been relocated into a two-man cell."

"Awesome!" Naruto whooped as his now-upraised fist dramatically crashed down on his palm to reflect his uncontained excitement. "So what's the next mission, Pervy Sage?"

"Brat, that's the bad news—you're not going to start missions again just yet."

He wasn't going to start missions just yet? What kind of joke was this?

"Wha—you can't be serious! Why not?"

"This is sort of... hm, how would the old man put it?" The Hokage paused for a moment, idly tapping his chin in thought. "Ah, a 'very long-term, team-building exercise.' Yeah, something like that!"

There was a brief moment of silence as the words reached Naruto's ears. _What?_

"I don't get it," he flatly responded.

The much older man almost laughed at that. "Figured you wouldn't."

"Hey!" Naruto indignantly cried, "what's the _real_ reason anyway? I've waited a long time for this, so why can't I just do missions now? I'm more than ready for whatever you got for me!"

He received a steely look that almost made him regret the words coming from his mouth. Perhaps it wasn't the best of ideas to express such distaste on mission delays.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so worried about why you're not getting missions on the get-go, and instead meditate on the good news that I just told you now. You should at least be considerate that you're off standby. What, do you _want_ to stay on it?"

The notion made him blanch. "No way, it's boring enough as it is!"

"So be happy that you're not going to be bored forever, damn it." The _Pervy Sage_ took a moment to calm his fired-up nerves—that boy really needed to learn a thing or two about appreciation, respect and a bit of modesty. Perhaps _she_ could do that for him, hopefully anyway.

Speaking of which...

"Besides, I think she's rather sweet," he offhandedly commented, "oh, and very polite I must say, unlike a _certain someone_ I know of!"

"She?"

"Oh, is that a problem for you?"

Naruto shrugged. "Nah, just wonderin' who you were talkin' about."

There was another pause as the Hokage leaned against the front of the desk, arms crossed over his chest.

"Anyway, I'm sorry that it took so long for this. If I hadn't had an advisory unit looming over my head and criticizing everything I did, you would've got relocated a month ago at the latest. You wouldn't believe how many candidates I had to go through before we finally came to an agreement."

Naruto nodded dumbly at the Hokage's words, but it did get him thinking a bit. Considering that relocation was probably as simple as putting A and B together, why would it take two entire months just to get matched? Heck, he would even argue that the _bastard_ had much bigger issues, so it should've taken longer for for his relocation. How he only needed to wait a mere month was beyond him.

He didn't have many compatibility issues as far as he was concerned. Sure, it was a long, strange trip dealing with people such as Sasuke during their time as Team Seven, but it somehow worked out in the end.

If that sort of quarreling relationship was indeed possible to resolve, or at the very least, made tame, then anyone would've and _should've_ sufficed.

"So, is she going to be here?" Naruto finally asked.

"Ah, don't you worry. She'll get here sooner than you think."

As he finished, Naruto's ears picked up a small ruckus in the spiral hallway, who had turned around to investigate the incoming source. Not even a moment later, a light-brown haired girl clumsily stumbled into the office—a bit breathless, but still in one piece. A light glare bounced off the rim of the forehead protector—that of which kept her bangs in place—as she gave a ceremonious bow.

"I'm sorry for being late, Master Jiraiya," the girl hastily started, "I left as soon as I could."

Jiraiya—now proper—gave a light-hearted laugh in response to her unnecessary apology. "You didn't have to be in such a hurry, sweetheart. We were just talking about you."

Her cheeks flushed a light pink in minor embarrassment, having thought the summons being of an urgent matter. "Oh..."

"Alright," the Hokage boomed as he relaxed his posture, "go and introduce yourselves, because you're going to be seeing each other. A _lot_. Better get used to it!"

Naruto—already making his way to the newcomer and now-partner in arms—was quick to break the ice. "Yo! The name's Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet 'ya!" He extended a hand in a welcoming gesture, shooting a friendly and disarming smile in her direction.

The girl almost seemed hesitant to return the gesture, but she slowly offered her hand after seeing his rather cheerful disposition. "Akane Mishima... it's nice to meet you, too." She had to look up to meet his gaze, being nearly an entire head shorter than he was.

Naruto gave two confident shakes when their hands came together—his grip firm and hers a tad bit loose. He was careful to not squeeze Akane's hand on accident, seeing as how hers were lithe and soft in contrast to his own, calloused and slightly tough. It almost felt like as if they were...

..._fragile_, in a sense.

It felt a bit weird, exchanging a handshake with someone who didn't have similar hands or grip. Probably wasn't just a _girl thing_, seeing as how Sakura's grip was as good as his, if not better, last time he checked.

Yeah, she had a_ very_ strong grip.

He released the gesture soon after, still smiling all the while as he put both hands behind his head.

Jiraiya cleared his throat, already making an attempt to dismiss them with a wave. "Oh, and play nice you two! Otherwise we're going to have some problems that I don't want to deal with."

* * *

_Disclaiming Naruto and Kämpfer. Rating subject to change._


	2. Play Nice

**Chapter Two — Play Nice**

* * *

"That Pervy Sage—I'm not a freakin' kid anymore!" Naruto ranted out loud as he departed from the Hokage Tower. Akane closely followed behind, allowing him the power and freedom to choose where he willed it.

The statement he declared was true; he technically wasn't a _kid_ by profession nor by age. At the bare minimum, he was considered a teenager—a young adult—on both sides of the coin. Perhaps Jiraiya was finally going senile after all! Or, was that old man actually right? What if he just didn't _look_ the part, but really did _act_ like a kid?

Nah, no way.

_The_ Naruto Uzumaki? A _kid_?

That was just some crazy talk from some crazy folk.

"Excuse me," his new teammate as of recent inquired, "but... who is this... um, _Pervy Sage_?" She spoke the last bit in a soft, unsure tone. What kind of nickname or label was that anyway?

Naruto almost snorted at the question; wasn't it obvious? "Hah, the old geezer of course—he's a toad sage _and_ a self-proclaimed _super_ pervert!"

That statement was also true; Jiraiya was indeed a legitimate master of the sage arts, and unfortunately, a natural born pervert as well. The fact that he had absolutely no shame in disclosing such personal information only supported this claim. One could safely assume that the day he forfeits his perverted ways would be the day that the world comes to an abrupt end.

"Did 'ya know that he spends all of his free time peepin' around the hot springs?"

That statement however, was _not_ true; had he said that prior to Jiraiya taking the mantle of Hokage, then nobody could oppose the claim. Nowadays though, the self-proclaimed super pervert found himself holed up in the Hokage Tower, day-in and day-out. There was no time to indulge in such lewd acts anymore when the village matters were top priority and of utmost importance. Nobody truly knew it, but the sage reluctantly resigned from writing soon after taking the responsibilities that came with the position.

Ah, so the _Icha Icha_ series finally meets its grisly and unfortunate end to the vile seat of the Hokage—not exactly poetic, but dead and six feet under, nonetheless.

...or so it seemed.

Somehow, newer works were still being published as if he were still writing_—_the latest addition to the well-received set came in only months ago as a matter of fact. Stranger still, the only noticable change anyone could point out would be the covers that the books were compiled in. Nothing else seemed out of place.

As far as everyone else was concerned, Jiraiya, the supreme mastermind behind the beloved series, was alive and well in that department.

And a bit more stylish to boot.

"I-Is that so?" Akane, who had been eyeballing the ground for quite some time, quickly pushed up her glasses to a more secure setting. That was slightly disturbing to know.

"That's Pervy Sage for you!"

They continued onward in an arbitrary direction, just anywhere that didn't take them around in a circle and back to the Hokage Tower. A brief pause lingered over their current conversation—there were so many questions to ask each other, but which ones were the right ones?

Choices, choices.

"You make it sound like as if you don't like him... why's that?"

Naruto let that question run a few times over in his head before his steps came to brief halt. She actually thought that he and Jiraiya weren't on good terms with each other? Well, he certainly couldn't blame her. The constant teasing and name-calling—which really wasn't so, given that their relationship as godson and godfather was rather stable—to anyone else would probably come off as something out of spite.

"Huh? Oh, it's not that I don't like him or anything; he's actually a good guy, when he's not being a perv anyway," he answered, continuing onward as he rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "I guess... the name just sort'a stuck, 'ya know?"

"I see..."

Naruto let out a hearty laugh. "No matter what happens, he'll always be Pervy Sage to me."

There was another moment of silence; the public chatter filled in the spaces that of which their words could not. Naruto's eyes idly swept left to right as they walked—he was apparently leading this random walk through the village, seeing as how Akane never once went a step ahead of him the entire time. It certainly would be nice to find something together to do, rather than fill idle time in complete wanderlust.

Sure enough, something did catch his eye in the far distance. _That_ would make do for now.

"Hey Akane, can I ask you somethin'?" Naruto suddenly began.

His companion seemed rather startled, but was quick to answer. "Yes?"

"How good are 'ya?"

"W-what?" she sputtered, unsure of the question's context.

"Oh, you know... your skills, experience... stuff like that," he elaborated, keeping most of his focus on getting to the intended destination. It was a legitimate question; one certainly could see a bit of the type of person someone was just based on the way they worded their answers.

Akane's face lit up a bright shade of pink, forcing herself to avert her gaze from Naruto. "Why w-would you ask s-such a thing?"

"Well," he lazily drawled, "I'm just feelin' a bit bored and my skills have gotten a bit rusty, so how about we go for a round or two?"

It definitely would be nice to fine-tune his fighting capabilities—with everyone so busy and everything, he was in the market for a new sparring partner. Unfortunately, his partner seemed to be on a different mind track, not that he was aware of it, anyway.

"I-I don't think I'd be c-comfortable with—"

"We can go at your pace, don't matter to me," he offered.

Perhaps, that wasn't the best way to follow up the question...

"I-I'm sorry!"

Akane bolted off in the complete opposite direction out of extreme embarrassment, immediately capturing Naruto's full attention. She was beginning to disappear into a crowded street by the time he realized what was going on.

"Huh? Hey, wait a sec!" Naruto called out, quickly taking a run after his retreating companion. "Where the heck are 'ya goin'?"

* * *

Akane's heart was racing, chest pounding like the rage of a wild stampede. It almost hurt to breathe, and the jumbled thoughts in her head were in no better condition than she. Exhausted, she slumped against a wall behind some store she veered off to. How long had it been since she had run like that?

Days?

Weeks?

Maybe months?

It didn't matter. What did though, was that she finally lost him somewhere in the busy, winding streets of Konoha. It was only by convenience and a bit of dumb luck that it was merely the afternoon. Akane took several deep breaths for herself as she allowed the rest of her mind finally catch up with her.

To think that her new partner would be so... forward? Was that the right way to put it? Simply thinking about him jump-started her beating heart back into overdrive, and her cheeks begun to flush a darker shade of red once more.

That wasn't good—she needed to calm down. How was she going to face Naruto now?

"Hey! There you are, I was lookin' all over for 'ya!"

Too late; there was no more time to prepare—her grace period was already over. Panic swiftly struck Akane's nerves as the all too-excited shinobi appeared right around the corner. _Oh_ _no! Why did he have to find me so quickly?_

She desperately pressed her back against the wall for some sense of security, though it did little to help as Naruto came within arm's reach.

"P-Please, I can't... I... I'm not ready for... _that_..." she pleaded, biting her lower lip out of nervousness. Akane weakly turned her face away from him—it was embarrassing enough as it was having to say such things. That, and she didn't even want to watch the anticipated events unfold.

Naruto's expression dropped as he bent down on his knees to meet her eye-level. "Oh... I think I get it."

She immediately felt some relief at the words; finally he understood what she was getting at.

"So, you're a medic-nin, huh?"

Yes, yes, that was exactly—wait, _medic-nin_? What did that have to do with... _that_? It took her a moment to sum up enough courage to actually look at him.

"...Or was it a different type that didn't fight? Man, I don't remember, but you're one of those kinds, right?"

_Fight?_

Oh no...

No, no, _no_.

She messed up—_again—_just like she always did when it came to people. Why was it always a misunderstanding on her part?

"I'm sorry, I really am!" Akane quickly replied. "It's not that I'm a medic-nin or anything, I just didn't know you wanted to... spar..."

Perfect, just _perfect_. There would be no doubt that Naruto would think that she was a weird person now. Then he would leave and ask Master Jiraiya for a different partner, because who in the right mind would stick with a weirdo like her anyway?

All of this, because she ruined everything at the start.

All if only, she didn't think that Naruto was making any forward advances unto her.

Akane's eyes begun to water; it would only take for him to call her weird and the tears would flow. She should've been used to such comments by now, or have grown a thicker skin after all these years, but they _still_ cut deep.

Naruto looked away for a moment, letting out a sigh as he considered her words for a moment. "Nah, it's okay... I should'a said that we were goin' to the Training Grounds."

Having nothing else to say, he stood up to full height before extending a hand down to her. Akane wiped away the tears that prematurely formed as she let herself get pulled up from the ground, though she kept her head dipped low to hide her melancholic expression. Such an action however, did not slip by unnoticed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto worriedly asked, drawing his face closer to hers. "Why're you... crying?"

She shook her head, not wanting to explain as she rubbed her eyes. "It's nothing..."

Nothing? More like _everything_ went wrong, but it wouldn't be fair to say that just yet, _yet_ being the key word. She just stood there, rooted in place before Naruto. Moments flickered through time, yet she did not move, as if awaiting the final judgment.

A frown etched itself across Naruto's face; was there something he did wrong? Did he make her cry? He continued to pull up blanks, quickly coming to the conclusion that girls were so confusing.

Even still, he couldn't just stand there either. What was it that others did to comfort someone?

Did they say something? Well, he wasn't any good with that route. 'Everything will be all right' were not exactly the most reassuring words to hear.

Hug? Maybe, but that was usually between two close friends... or something like that.

Naruto considered the thought; he definitely didn't want to say something stupid, but also he didn't want to do absolutely nothing either. Would a hug really be okay in this situation? They certainly just met each other only mere hours ago, but it did seem like the right thing to do.

Unsure, he studied Akane's form once more over, giving her his best critical eye before drawing a final conclusion.

Yeah, she_ really_ looked like she needed a hug.

"Well," Naruto nervously started, "this might seem a bit weird or something, but..." He let the words trail off, opting to convey the rest of the missing message through a physical embrace.

Akane, unsuspecting of the sudden close-contact, immediately tensed as he looped his arms around her back. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat, but the inviting warmth of his body slowly coaxed her to relax from her apprehensive state. With the way he held her, she did not feel like she was obligated to return the gesture—there was freedom to choose whether to acknowledge the action or not. Despite that, she had mustered the will to reciprocate the same grace unto him.

Akane's arms lightly held his waist as she leaned herself slightly onto him. The calm, steady rhythm of his heartbeat contrasted her own—electrified and wild—those same, untamed pulses seeking to silence Naruto's echoes through sheer power alone. Her cheeks grew hot as she remained spellbound within his arms; those pillars of might made her feel safer with than without, washing away the worrisome thoughts shelved in the back of her mind.

_It's okay._

The physical comfort would not last forever, unfortunately, as Naruto withdrew himself from the hug. It did accomplish in calming her down, at least.

"Thank you..." she quietly returned.

"Ah... it's nothing," Naruto answered in minor embarrassment as he looked towards the sky. The sun glistened a reddish hue above the Hokage Mountain overlooking the village, painting an orange-violet upon the scenic canvass around them; evening was near. "It's starting to get late, so how about I walk you home?"

Akane silently contemplated the offer as she wiped her eyes once more over. Nobody, friend or acquaintance, had ever done that for her. "I'd like that," she finally decided.

The answer appeared to be the correct one, if Naruto's bright smile was of anything to go by. "Lead the way!"

From there, they walked—Akane led, Naruto followed—at a leisurely pace. The air continued to remain slightly rigid, as if sparking up a conversation would appear to be a bit unwelcome for the time being. It was fine though, even if Naruto wanted to talk a bit to pass the time.

_"How much farther until we get to your place?"_

_"Anything interesting happen this week?"_

_"How long did were you stuck on standby?"_

Nothing too personal, but it didn't look like she was ready to answer any questions just yet. He decided it best to give her some space, to speak only when asked. His azure eyes traveled aimlessly, seeking nothing in particular with dispersed focus.

The lanterns were beginning to light aflame for the coming night and the crowded streets were gradually dissolving. They strolled by the occasional chatter of public, though it seemed that most were likely more concerned about finding a meal or getting home after a long day's work. The vague clinging of silverware, the opening and shutting of doors, the collective howls of laughter...

There weren't many people on the street with them—most being indoors—quiet enough that they could hear their footfalls brush along the dirt. Even still, they had yet to utter a single word to each other the entire time.

Without much else to see that he hadn't already, Naruto quickly drowned himself with an assortment of thoughts. He still had countless questions in need of answers, like why did he—they, now—have to wait before they could take missions? Why did it take so long for his placement? Is the two-man cell intended to be as long-lasting as Team Seven was, or is it simply temporary—a stepping stone for something else?

He could only attach wild, educated guesses to them, and it was very unlikely that Jiraiya was going to provide any absolute answers anytime soon. There had to be another way, another source for the answers. But who? Who else aside from the Hokage and his advisory unit would possibly know?

That was an easier question to deal with.

"We're here," Akane suddenly began, prompting him to immediately stop and pay attention to his surroundings."Thank you for doing this for me."

It was a rather large apartment complex, wider than it was tall. Rows of wooden planks lined up against the walls of each tier, and an array of pipes of some sort ran along the shades and roofs. Despite it being a sizable living accommodation, it had fewer windows than one would expect it to have. It was very likely that most residents had to make do without one, or pay extra for the small luxury.

Taking a moment to digest the view before him, Naruto couldn't help but stand slack-jawed in surprise. "Huh... no way..."

"What?" his companion queried.

"I live here too!" he exclaimed with utmost excitement. "That's pretty awesome, how come I haven't seen you around here before?"

The thought of having a teammate living in the same complex as he did was rather fascinating. Most of his peers and instructors lived elsewhere, often halfway across the village like Sasuke did, making some close-by arrangements or meeting points rather unfeasible for others. It certainly would make many thing easier this way; how convenient!

Akane shifted her weight from one foot to another as she thought of a possible answer to his question. She kept her jade-tinted eyes glued to the dirt on the ground out of habit. "I... don't know. I stay home when I can, so that may be why."

"Heh, well I guess it doesn't matter now," he replied as they made their way inside, taking the stairs up. "So which floor?"

"The fourth one, room forty-seven."

They rounded a corner out before they met the set leading to the fifth floor. Her door looked like it was further down the hallway, a few rooms before it would turn.

"If you don't mind me asking... what floor do you live on?"

Her question got Naruto to boastfully grin. "Not at all—seventy-one on the seventh of course, right under the roof!"

It was the best possible room, in his opinion at least. Not only was the roof just above him, but having a window at the tallest floor one could live in guaranteed an unobstructed view of the outside. The fact that his window faced the Hokage Mountain made it that much better, and being right next to the stairs was certainly a plus.

"I see."

Stopping by Akane's door, Naruto prepared to take his queue to depart. The day, or night one could say, was not yet over and he still hadn't had his third meal yet.

"Well, in case I don't see 'ya the rest of the day—good night! I'll stop by in the morning or something if you're awake, okay?"

The enthusiasm behind his words brought a small smile to her face. "Okay... good night, Naruto."

Akane undid the lock on her door, though she looked back down the hallway to see if she could catch a last minute glimpse of Naruto before he left. But by the time she did, the light-hearted shinobi was already up the stairs and just out of sight.


End file.
